Product Description

Desperate to regain the trust of his kingdom, Prince Lionheart reluctantly banishes his faithful servant and only friend, Rose Red. Now she is lost in the hidden realm of Arpiar, held captive by her evil goblin father, King Vahe.

Vowing to redeem himself, Lionheart plunges into the mysterious Goldstone Wood, seeking Rose Red. In strange other worlds, Lionheart must face a lyrical yet lethal tiger, a fallen unicorn, and a goblin horde on his quest to rescue the girl he betrayed.

With the Night of Moonblood fast approaching, when King Vahe seeks to wake the Dragon's sleeping children, Lionheart must discover whether or not his heart contains courage before it's too late for Rose Red... and all those he loves.

Publisher's Description

A New Novel for Fantasy Readers Young and Old

Desperate to regain the trust of his kingdom, Prince Lionheart reluctantly banishes his faithful servant and only friend, Rose Red. Now she is lost in the hidden realm of Arpiar, held captive by her evil goblin father, King Vahe.

Vowing to redeem himself, Lionheart plunges into the mysterious Goldstone Wood, seeking Rose Red. In strange other worlds, Lionheart must face a lyrical yet lethal tiger, a fallen unicorn, and a goblin horde on his quest to rescue the girl he betrayed.

With the Night of Moonblood fast approaching, when King Vahe seeks to wake the Dragon's sleeping children, Lionheart must discover whether or not his heart contains courage before it's too late for Rose Red...and all those he loves.

Author Bio

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of Heartless, Veiled Rose, Moonblood, and Starflower. Heartless and Veiled Rose have each been honored with a Christy Award.

Moonblood is a continuation of Veiled Rose. Prince Lionheart bows to the demands of fearful people and banishes his only friend, Rose Red to certain doom, nevertheless, he has lost the throne, his father removing him. Now he must face the consequences of his actions as he sets out to redeem himself and rescue you Rose Red.

Most of the books I read or movies I watch tend to focus on a story that contain this huge climatic battle and a grand ending of sorts, but we really never revisit the world to see the aftermath, the rebuilding of lives, fields, homes, etc. In Moonblood, we see the aftermath of the Dragon's destruction to Southlands and Parumvir, and how the kingdoms must find a way to rebuild their lives and homes, to figure out how they are going to feed themselves, and replant their fields poisoned by the Dragon's fumes. This struck me as beautiful and deepens, enriches the story.

Many of our favorite characters return: Sir Eanrin (Teamed up with Lionheart, for those of you who have read Heartless & Veiled Rose will understand the irony!) Rose Red, Beana, Oeric the goblin knight, Prince of Farthestshore, Felix, King Fidel (But no Una), and Dame Imraldera (Which I am so glad to have read Starflower before).

I love the creativity of this series, the way the author writes, and how everything is woven together. Such beautiful, poignant stories filled with real characters and fantastical creatures, objects and landscapes. It's a world I want to get lost in over and over, and here's hoping for many books to come!

I didn't know what to expect from the third book in the Goldstone Wood series because the title and cover somehow reminded me of vampires. If you have similar concerns, put your mind at ease. This book continues the story of Rose Red, the stout-hearted little heroine from Veiled Rose. "Moonblood" is the anniversary of a terrible event long ago. The plot does jump around a bit, which might be confusing to some. Trust, hope, and God's sovereignty are themes that surface again and again. Overall, I found the story, although quite dark, very moving.

Moonblood is a direct sequel to Veiled Rose so I suggest you read that book before reading this one.

In a desperate bid to earn back the trust of his kingdom, Prince Lionheart banishes his only friend, Rose Red, to certain death. Now, his last hope for regaining his honor is to descend into the treacherous Wilderlands and find her.

But many perils stand in Lionheart's path. A mysterious Hunter is on his trail, a dangerous unicorn prowls the darker shadows, and Rose Red herself has been drawn into the hidden realm of Arpiar where the goblin king holds her captive for foul purposes of his own.

With the help of a blind cat, an ugly knight, and the gentle Lady of the Haven, Lionheart can only hope he will find Rose Red before the Night of Moonblood . . . when the sleeping dragons will awake . . .

The only complaint I have about this book is that it felt a little slower of pace in some places than the first two books. Nevertheless, it really is a great sequel! I was chuckling at some parts, in tears at others. And if you're expecting allegory like in the first two books, it's there, just not as pronounced.

Book 3 is just as exciting as Heartless (Book 1) and Veiled Rose (Book 2). Of note if you have not read the other books: parts of Moonblood take place in the previous 2 books so that they are all an important part of one another.

The Southlands are free of the Dragon, but the effects of the five years he controlled the kingdom are still being felt. The people of the Southlands are turning against Prince Lionheart because of his friendship with Red Rose. When Una comes in search of Leonard her presence brings the peoples distrust of Red Rose to a fevered crisis and in-order to save both her life and his reign Lionheart (Leo) exiles her. But Red Rose's exile is a death sentence because she is being sent into the realm of King Vahe - her father.

Meanwhile Prince Felix of Parumvir is falling under the control of the poison still within his blood. When Felix hears the summoning cry of a Unicorn he follows it into the Kingdom of Arpiar where great evil is about to be unleashed.

When Leo is given a choice to right the wrongs he has committed, what will he choose? Will he marry Lady Daylily and reign over the Southlands or will he instead search for his childhood friend and give up his throne?

When I first heard of "Heartless," I was intrigued by the front cover, and semi-interested by the summary. Eventually, I obtained a copy from a library and read it in one day. I was amazed by the complexity and beauty of the book, which had nearly moved me to tears. I was ecstatic when I discovered that more books were coming out and soon received the next two, "Veiled Rose" and "Moonblood."

"Veiled Rose," though good, did not pull me in as much as the first, but nevertheless I was thrilled to meet the maiden Rose Red, and learn the story of Lionheart, whom I felt sorry for in Heartless.

Then I read "Moonblood," which soon picks up after the end of "Heartless." This story grabbed me like few have.

I'm an avid reader, and I have read MANY books, both well-known and unknown. But after a few days of reflection, I decided that "Tales of Goldstone Wood" was my favorite fantasy series of all time! (Topping even the Lord of the Rings books for enjoyment anyway.) I had to share them, so I read them to my mother. She loved them, though at first concerned that they dwelt on darkness. (It didn't.) She felt a lot of understanding for Una, as she had gone through a nightmare herself as a young woman before being rescued by Jesus Christ.

"Moonblood" is a story of love, grace, forgiveness, and redemption. The main character, Lionheart, wants to be a good guy, but he's a people pleaser, and the people hate his best friend, the mysterious veiled girl, Rose Red, who terrifies the kingdom of Southlands. Afraid of losing his kingdom, Lionheart reluctantly banishes her to the dreaded Wilderlands. Soon afterwards, the rest of Lionheart's life falls to shambles. It is then that the second part of the book returns to a familiar character: Prince Felix, whose condition of dragon poisoning is becoming worse and worse. It his story that leads us to the land of Arpiar, a place of artificial beauty, overseen by the divinely beautiful King Vahe, and guarded by the evil, but haunted, unicorn. It is in Arpiar, the land of the Veiled Folk, that we are reunited with Rose Red, who has hardened her heart against the Prince of Farthestshore and Lionheart. Meanwhile, Lionheart bumbles his way through adventures with an unlikely guide: the cat Monster, otherwise known as Eanrin. (Or "sir," or "Your Grace", or "Your Eminence.") Eanrin likes Lionheart little, and Lionheart hates cats, so the two get on each others nerves in a hilarious way, especially when Lionheart learns Eanrin's secret. In this book we also re-meet, Lady Imraldera, who has a fascinating past strongly intertwined with Eanrin's. And we re-meet Sir Oreic, the ugly but noble knight, with a dark past that traces right back to Arpiar.

The author weaves all of these stories and more into a tapestry of adventure, beauty, and truth. The story draws to a pulse-pounding climax in which Lionheart attempts to earn absolution for his sins. But there is none who can redeem save the Prince of the land called Farthestshore...

I'm dying for the prequel covering Imraldera and Eanrin's past, "Starflower" and the book after that "Dragonwitch."

Please read these books with an ready-to-learn mind, because if you resent Una and Lionheart, you might be more like them then you want to admit.

Congratulations to Anne Elizabeth Stengel! She is an author blessed with the chance to change lives for God's Glory!

P.S

As for my nickname, "Hannah, age 14," ignore the age because I'm now older then that. Couldn't find a way to change it. Huh.